Dodgers lose outfielder Nick Buss on waiver claim to A's

Isotopes outfielder Nick Buss is congratulated by catcher Miguel Olivo (30) after hitting a home run against the Tacoma Rainiers during a game last month in Albuquerque.

Isotopes outfielder Nick Buss is congratulated by catcher Miguel Olivo (30) after hitting a home run against the Tacoma Rainiers during a game last month in Albuquerque. (Roberto E. Rosales / Associated Press)

Outfielder Nick Buss, designated for assignment Wednesday when the Dodgers had to call up Red Patterson to start the second game of a doubleheader, was claimed on waivers by the A’s.

The Dodgers liked Buss, but he did not appear to have a future in their crowded outfield. They are already rotating five players at the major-league level and have highly regarded outfield prospect Joc Pederson waiting at triple-A Albuquerque.

Buss is also a left-handed hitter, like Pederson, Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier. And early this season when the Dodgers needed another outfielder, they called up left-handed hitter Mike Baxter. The numbers just seemed unlikely to work out for Buss here.

Buss, 27, was originally an eighth-round pick out of USC by the Dodgers in the 2008 draft. He made one appearance at the major-league level, appearing in eight September games last year and batting .105.

This season at Albuquerque he was hitting .261 with one home run and 16 RBI in 26 games, but he drove in a league-high 100 runs last season for the Isotopes.